Amazon Fire HD 10 Review: An Inexpensive Large Entertainment Tablet

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Introduction & Specifications

Amazon’s current generation of Fire tablets offer something for everyone, from the budget-conscious user who wants a super-cheap $50 tablet, to the consumer who’s willing to spend more in exchange for a larger format device with all the bells and whistles. Today, we’re going to take a look at Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet which finds itself at the top of Amazon’s current slate offerings but for a very reasonable price for a 10-inch device.

Amazon designed the Fire HD 10 with entertainment in mind. The tablet features a 10.1-inch wide aspect HD display that supports a resolution of 1280x800 with a density of 149ppi. This display features a 16:10 aspect ratio that gives you 22 percent more horizontal viewing area than competing tablets with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is obviously most useful with HD (1280x720) video though FHD (1920x1080) is not in the cards. Amazon also includes stereo speakers with Dolby Audio as well as front- and rear-facing cameras to round out the entertainment package.

The Fire HD 10 is also very thin and light. Measuring just 7.7mm thick, the Fire HD 10 is Amazon's thinnest tablet with the largest display. Amazon also utilized a quad-core processor in the Fire HD 10, though it's a relatively modest power plant from MediaTek.

Although the Fire HD 10 is one of Amazon’s top models it still has a relatively budget price tag, starting at $229.99 for a 16GB model. A 32GB variant is available for $30 more. Both models come with free unlimited cloud storage for Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Should you require additional storage capacity, you can add up to 128GB via the tablet’s microSD card slot.

Amazon’s newest Fire OS 5 aka “Bellini” is said to offer the best entertainment experience on any tablet with a new user interface and deep integration with Amazon’s services. The Fire HD 10 is also one of the first to offer Amazon Underground out of the box which gives you over $20,000 in apps, games, and in-app items for free.

Before we dive in to the full hands-on review, let’s take a look at the specifications of the Fire HD 10:

In addition to a thin and light design, the Fire HD 10 is also durable. In fact, Amazon claims the Fire HD 10 is almost two times more durable than the latest generation iPad Air in tumble tests. Weighing 432 grams, the Fire HD 10 is also lighter than the iPad Air.

As we’ve seen with previous Amazon tablets, Amazon is offering a number of accessories for the Fire HD 10. A protective Bluetooth keyboard case offers a natural typing experience with full-sized keys, an integrated track pad, and shortcut keys that provide single-click access to email, media controls, and volume. This case costs $99.99 and can hold the tablet in three different angles.

Amazon also offers a traditional leather cover for $64.99 that can hold the Fire HD 10 in portrait or landscape mode. This cover features a magnetic closure that automatically wakes your tablet or puts it to sleep when you open or close the cover. Amazon included this cover with our review unit. There are also "certified made for Fire" accessories you can check out as well. Let's look at design and build quality, next...